Alleyway of sorrows
by MotteSpark
Summary: He had till evening to take her life. Will he do it?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Basically, this is a short story on how Kaoru and Kenshin met. Of course, I'm not following the storyline. Almost everything is different except for the timeline, characters (duh), etc. And if you still don't get me, forget it. Just read on and enjoy! Will update the next chapter as soon as I fnish all my homework...still got tons...sigh.

* * *

The first time they met face-to-face was in a dark alleyway. When her eyes were a cold, distant blue which ironically burned into his fiery ones.

And in the darkness, he saw that her lips were slightly pulled back into a small smile. Which became wider. And wider.

She started chuckling to herself. If he wasn'tin business mode, he'd have been creeped out; well, he'd seen his fair share of weird, freaky people during his missions for the organisation he worked under. This girl couldn't be any scarier than the war-torn strangers with missing eyes and spikes growing out of their flesh or the weirdos with extremely flexible bodies whom he'd met.

But staring into her eyes, the said windows to her soul, he could have sworn she'd no life, no spirit…

"It's not like I have any goals or aims… Everything's decided by _him_." _By my father…_And again, a bitter laugh escaped her lips.

She folded her arms casually, as if being stalked into a dark alley was an everyday thing which bothered her not one bit. "You say you're killing me because my father is going against what your organisation has always stood for… don't you know that what you're doing is useless?"

He let her go on. "My father always thinks that people superior to him are better. So what? Humans are humans. No matter how high up they may be, they aren't perfect. To err is human, is it not?"

And then she looked directly at Kenshin, whose cold exterior didn't flinch under her piercing gaze.

"That's how the two of you are so alike."

It was intrigue, a curiousness as to what she would say next,which forced Kenshin's grip on his hilt to loosen. "What do you mean?"

"Both of you… always listening to your higher-ups and doing what they ask of you… Always going with the flow; never going against it. You're both just like _dogs_."

Kenshin flinched. Not physically, but mentally so only he knew.

"Dogs…that's right. You're both just like dogs."

And the girl before him…Kamiya Kaoru… turned away from him and walked out of the dark, dark alleyway.

And, boy, did Kenshin hate what she'd called him.

* * *

"A girl. You couldn't hunt a girl," the dark-haired man kept repeating to himself the same words over and over, as if it were something he could not comprehend. Lying back with a blade of grass twirling between his fine lips, he studied the night sky filled with an astronomical number of twinkling stars. To others, it might seem that he was a person with a passion for astrology who was admiring the black, inky sky which was lit by only the spherical moon. In truth, he was half expecting a blazing meteor to fly towards him at the speed of light. 

"She wasn't just a girl," Kenshin cut in, his tone filled with indignance, "she was a smart-mouthed bitch who didn't know her place."

"So you were outsmarted by a smart-mouthed bitch," Sanosuke seemed amused by the intended pun. Seeing as to how the blazing meteor was rather late, he decided to wait for its impending arrival sitting up instead of lying on the ground. "Either way, you failed to eliminate her. She's Taichou's opponent's daughter. You have to finish this before we meet Taichou again."

Kenshin tucked his sword back onto his belt and stood up languorously, not in the mood of completing an assassination. "And when is that?"

"Tomorrow evening."

* * *

Evening. He still had all the time in the world. Why, it was only noon and he had not even had his lunch yet. A hungry man is an angry man and Kenshin didn't want to work on an empty, growling stomach. He made his way through the crowded streets; past several wild, young children playing tag; past several gossiping housewives who giggled when they saw him; until he saw a restaurant. 

Pushing the curtain aside, he entered, greeted by the sight of a young, pretty brunette waitress who swiftly guided him to a vacant table. He guessed that she must have worked at the restaurant for a while already but strangely, he'd never seen her before.

Taking out a pencil and a piece of paper, she politely pointed to the menu on the table. "What would you like to have, sir?"

Kenshin absentmindedly muttered, "A bowl of ramen, please." The chef here was famous for his signature dish, ramen. Just plain ramen. And Kenshin had always enjoyed the delectable, steamy bowl of noodles which would be served in only a few minutes. Kicking back, he sank deeper onto the ground, allowing his laziness to overwhelm him. He really wasn't in the mood for working.

"Drink it up! Drink all the sake up!"

Kenshin looked out of his booth and past several tables till he saw a huge, giant of a man with a potbelly sticking out through his clothing. A savage roar of laughter escaped the giant's mouth again as he tickled the chin of the girl, who squirmed uneasily although the movement was inconspicuous to the eyes of others, sitting beside him.

"Maa, maa, General Todoro, I don't think I could force anymore sake down my throat. Could we please stop this game?" the girl asked in an obsequious tone, desperately hoping that her words would please the general into ending the vile game she'd been coerced into playing.

Kenshin tilted his head to the left to catch a sight of the poor girl and…

Kamiya Kaoru. It was smart-mouthed bitch

Kenshin contemplated leaving her in her disastrous plight, then thought up of something better. The burly, crude man had started fondling her breasts intimately, while his other hand reached for the hem of her kimono. If Kenshin had expected the girl to retaliate, he'd be in for a shocker.

Kaoru was not moving. Her hands were frozen stiff on the cup she held between her pale fingers, which were rapidly turning red from the way she was squeezing the cup.

General Todoro, was it? One of Kamiya-san's close acquaintances. Kenshin wondered why he never found it surprising that the bastard would let his daughter be sexually harassed by his own close associate in public. If Kenshin were to kill the girl only, the wound left on Kamiya-san would close very quickly. But if he were to destroy the trust the man's associates had in him, the wound he gave Kamiya-san would leave an indelible scar.

It was going to be fun. Getting up from his seat, Kenshin headed for the brawny man, who by now was slobbering down the poor girl's neck, and stood there.

"That's my woman you're dribbling on, you great oaf."

The said oaf paused from groping the girl's breasts and slowly turned an eye to stare Kenshin in the eye. "Who the hell are you?"

Kenshin, feeling hot and bothered by now, had tugged the front of his kimono open, revealing the top of his chest. One side of his sleeve dangled precariouslynear the end of his shoulder, threatening to fall over it."None of your business. Hands off my woman, you drooling ass."

General Todoro's hands, which were still on Kaoru's breasts, tightened with annoyance, eliciting a cry of pain from Kaoru, who twisted around in an attempt to get out of her uncomfortable position.

The general took none of this into account. He didn't care if the woman he'd been thinking of fucking a few moments ago was hurting, nor did he care that she was begging him to let her go. The only thing on his mind was a fight. A fight which this…this inexperienced youngster was looking for.

"I'm going to pulverise you!" the general snarled, jumping up with an unbelievable speed, a fist headed straight for Kenshin's face.

Kenshin smirked condescendingly at the huge man and ducked the general's fist, as if the inept fighter here was the general himself instead of Kenshin. The general could feel the blood rushing to his face in embarrassment at how he'd missed.Every single customer in the restaurant had started staring at the two, acting as nothing more than curious spectators.

The general gave a battle cry; he brought his hand up, ready to bring it slamming down into the youngster's spine, when he felt a sharp stab to his abdomen. He felt nothing at first, then the pain shot through him and flooded his nerves with an unbearable vengeance. What hit him, he'd never know, for it'd happened all too fast.

The last thing he remembered was seeing his blood spurt out from his mouth and the same patronizing grin still on the boy's face before he felt the darkness rush to claim him into its depths. And he fainted.

Kenshin stepped over the big buffalo who served as a step into the booth. The girl was still staring at the general, an unregistered shock on her face. She'd always thought that the huge general was unbeatable, invincible, infallible; and yet, in mere moments, he'd been defeated by…

And as his cool azure eyes met her deep navy ones, she wondered what kind of monster she'd happened to insult the day before.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Yes, at last I finished this chapter. Was experiencing writer's block at first. Then later I felt that what I write was just not…_it._ Okay, I don't know what I'm talking about either. Putting all trivial matters aside, this chapter is how Kenshin and Kaoru interact in the short time they have together. Kaoru is going to tell him some things about herself and if you read close enough, you'll realise that nothing much is said about Kenshin. That's because I feel he should just be kept a…dark, mystifying secret. Not like he really actually is one. Oh well,

* * *

She could never forget the crazed look in his glassy, desultory eyes. There was a held back ferocity which was tamed by the walls of his soul as he fought the sexually deprived Todoro. Kaoru could only stare in awe before trepidation sank in as she realised whom it was she'd thrown derogatory remarks at. 

With a startled jump, she realised that he was looking at her with an indifferent face. He grabbed her arm, pulling her up onto her feet roughly. Biting back a gasp, she forced herself to adjust to his quick pace as he dragged her out of the restaurant and away from the entrance where a curious crowd had gathered.

Their pace soon escalated into a run and they ducked past several stores and ran past scores of people strolling about in the bright weather. He only slowed down when they crossed the bridge and arrived at the river, where a few children could be seen swimming in. Kenshin let himself fall onto the soft grass and roll down until he almost reached the base of the slope. Kaoru jogged down along with him, unsure if she should actually be following him but with nowhere else to go, decided to simply wait and watch what would follow.

Kenshin spread his arms wide open. He always loved feeling the breeze after a run, when his body was all worked up and he felt warm and bothered. Thelight windwas a cooling agent, which calmed his nerves down and helped settle his mind. He felt the grass bend under the weight of another person- the girl.

She was staring at the river, watching the two children chase after a school of fishes which just happened to swim by. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why did you save me?"

Kenshin regarded her with an irritated expression, as if saving her was the most obvious thing anybody would have done. "You looked like you needed help."

"I didn't," she insisted. "You've gotten me in trouble now. My father needed the general's help for his next project and you've just ruined the relationship between them." A seed of distrust had been planted when Kenshin had claimed that Kaoru was his woman.

"Whatever," Kenshin shrugged uncaringly, turning his attention back to the wind." I did what I thought was right. It's not like I will be affected in any way."

"Obstinate bastard," Kaoru muttered under her breath, hoping he would hear her. Silence was his answer, if he did catch hold of her cursing. She tried to goad him further. "What are you waiting for? You wanted to kill me last night, didn't you? So just go ahead and finish me now!"

He frowned; irked by all the troublesome questions with conspicuous answers that she was throwing at him. "I'm an assassin, a murderer who takes lives. It's my job. Besides, I still have a few hours left for your case."

Kaoru's vehement determination to provoke him abated and a soft, wistful light replaced the spiteful spirit in her eyes. She seemed to be reflecting in deep thought. "If you're a murderer, then I wonder what that makes me…?"

Kenshin surreptitiously shifted his eyes to study her as the atmosphere underwent a quick metamorphosis into a contemplative, silent one. There was more to her then met the eye. Behind the beautifully painted amethyst kimono; under those dark silky locks of hair; beneath that face of near perfection, there was something she guarded carefully from the world. A concealed secret hidden from even the most prying eyes. If she didn't want to tell him, Kenshin couldn't care less. He turned to lie on his right, away from her.

"Have you ever played in the river before?" she asked, indicating the two kids who were now waddling in random directions, not worrying about getting their clothing wet.

She was really asking him weird questions, Kenshin decided, as he rolled his eyes skywards. She started again.

"My father broke the news to me last night that he was going to make me marry one of his business acquaintances. Not General Todoro, mind you," she added when she noticed the questioning gaze he gave her.

Kenshin felt enraged; even though her father had promised somebody else her hand, he'd let his own daughter be touched by another man. Kamiya-san sure didn't keep his promises very seriously. If the general didn't know who Kaoru's fiancé was, he was now sure to think that her suitor was Kenshin. _That's my woman you're touching…_ Kenshin recalled his words with much irony.

"My threats of running away from home didn't have my desired effect…so I decided to end-" she stopped, as if suddenly realising who she was talking to. Her spirit seemed to deflate; her firm, steady posture collapsed into a tremulous wreck. "N-never mind. Forget what I was about to say."

"Do you hate your father?"

Kaoru nodded without even needing time to consider. But if she felt any anger at the mention of her father, she didn't show it. "Of course. From the bottom of my heart- I know it sounds cheesy but it's true. He showed his true colours after my mother died of a fever." She folded her legs to get into a more comfortable position. "He blames me for her death. Said that if I'd not gone out to play and gotten myself lost, she wouldn't have worried herself sick and died as a result.

"What's the point of telling me your life story?"

"Dunno. I guess I just wanted to tell you to make the best out of your life."

_Are you trying to tell me that I shouldn't waste my life being an assassin working under people whom I don't even know?_

"I used to play in the river with my mother…Let's go," she stood up and locked her fingers around his elbow, pulling him further down the slope till she reached the water.

"Whoa-whoa- what the hell are you doing?" His arms flapped around furiously as he tried to get her to let him go but to no avail. "You- damn it- argh-" His words were cut off as she stepped into the waters, and he fell into the shin-deep river. She let her kimono get soaked as she walked deeper and deeper before she released her hold on him; he fell backwards, and was inundated by the piercing cold waters.

He quickly stood up and was hit by a cold blast of wind. Cursing, he sat back down in the river again. Kaoru laughed when she realised that the cold water had chilled him to the bone when he'd stood up.

Kenshin growled. "Don't laugh like we're friends."

Kaoru scooped up a handful of crystal-clear water; then dumped it over the unaware Kenshin, who blubbered frantically, waving his arms around in a poor attempt to escape. "We're not. You're an assassin. I'm your victim."

"Not yet."

"Not yet," she agreed.

She seemed…lighter, if there was a word for the change in her appearance. A pressing burden had been lifted off her shoulders and she was able to walk with a strange ease, as if she was more of floating now instead of fighting to take a step forwards. It was also strange, he concluded after much thought, how she wasn't afraid of him, although she did prove that statement the night before when she insulted him with names. Still, she was happily playing with him. In a river.

"Why aren't you terrified of me?" he asked, when curiosity finally got the better of him.

She paused, hands half in the water, about to pour more over him. Straightening her back, she frowned in concentration. "Well, you did tell me you still have until evening. So we have about an hour more."

"That doesn't answer my question," he said with a deadpan.

"I don't know. Perhaps it's because you don't intend to kill me."

"I do."

She tilted her head to a side in a girlish manner. "Well, yes, but the one who wants me dead isn't _you_. It's somebody else; you're just doing your work professionally."

"Oh." Kenshin found that he was at a loss for words.

As he was grappling for something to say, she spoke up, "Let's head for that place."

_That place…?_

"You know," she said matter-of-factly, as if she could read the inquisitive stare he was giving her, "the place where we had our first unarranged rendezvous."


End file.
